VISAKHAPATNAM: Skipper Virat Kohli on Sunday hailed India’s pace attack which has showed a lot of heart to go through the grind and deliver even on slow spin-friendly wickets.
Mohammed Shami unleashed a lethal spell of fast bowling, returning with a five wicket haul, as India dismissed South Africa for 191 to complete a 203-run win in the opening Test against South Africa on Sunday.
India thus took a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series.
Asked if the Indian pacers are now playing a more significant role in India’s Test victories Kohli said: “It’s all about the attitude. If fast bowlers are going to think that spinners are going to do all the work, then it doesn’t justify their place.
“They ask for shorter spells so they can give 100%. That’s when you see guys like Shami, Ishant, Jasprit and Umesh doing well. It’s all about wanting to make a play for the team even in conditions that are difficult,” Kohli said at the post-match conference.
In the first innings, Ishant Sharma was the sole wicket taker. However, Shami rattled the opposition in the second innings, claiming five wickets for 35 runs to earn praise from his captain.
“Shami has been a strike bowler in the second innings. All the guys lived up to their strengths. While batting heroes were obvious bowlers had it tougher in this game,” Kohli said.
The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja also shone with the ball. While Ashwin picked up seven wickets in the first innings, Jadeja ended with six wickets, including four in the second innings.
Kohli also was effusive in his praise for Rohit Sharma, who scored centuries in both the innings of his debut match as a Test opener, and Mayank Agarwal, who hit his maiden Test ton.
“Mayank and Rohit played brilliantly. Pujara too in the second innings. It was a hard grind though because of the weather and the pitch slowing down,” Kohli said.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis hailed the fighting effort of his team but acknowledged that Shami’s second innings exploits made a huge difference.
“We fought well but the second innings was tough. I thought up until this morning we competed really well,” he said.
He added that the seamer’s role up until the final day was to hold and it was on the fifth day that Shami was able to reverse swing the ball.
“You can always sit after a game like this what you can do but apart from Shami this morning, the seamers’ job was of holding. On a day five pitch, things happen quicker, but it’s the nature of Test cricket,” he said. (agencies)it a world record 13 sixes during the knock.
“No matter what ball you play, whether it’s red ball or white ball. At the start, you’ve got to be careful. Focus on basics – leaving ball outside off, playing close to the body,” Rohit said, adding that match awareness is also another aspect.
“Everything depends on the situation you’re batting in. It’s my game to mix caution with aggression, that’s been my mantra.”
His second innings century came off 149 balls, which included 10 fours and seven sixes.
“In the second innings, I had to try and play some shots. It may have come off but may not have come off also. Bowlers are pretty smart these days but I backed myself and I guess fortune favours the brave,” Rohit said.
Rohit broke a slew of records during his innings. He became the first batsman to hit twin tons in maiden Test as an Opener apart from the 13 sixes.
Asked about the records, he said: “There are lot of things (that happened) in this Test, which I am not aware of in terms of records. ‘
“Focus was to have fun and put team in a good position. Just wanted to go out there and do what I do best. Focus was on winning the Test match and I think we pretty much did everything right today.”
One of the major architect of the win, Mohammed Shami, who returned with a five-wicket haul in the second innings, said the fast bowlers reaped the benefits of persistently targeting the stumps.
“It would always be difficult (to bat) as the wicket was slow and low. We had the plans to attack the stumps between the two fast bowlers. We have been supporting each other well for the last 4-5 years,” he said.
“In the second innings, the variable bounce and reverse would be beneficial for us. It was visible that the batsman’s discomfort zone was that stump-line and you can see the result.
“It was of utmost importance for us to remove the first 4-5 batsmen as soon as possible. In the first innings, of course Ashwin was fantastic for us. The more we would attacked the stumps, the better it would be for us.” (agencies)
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